But in the end, she forced herself to swallow her pride. Did she really have any other choice?

"Of course, Mr. MacLeod. And I can't let you help me for nothing. I'll book the next flight to Kingston. Dinner's on me," Vanessa said enthusiastically. She had long since mastered the art of handling men.

"Good. I like a woman who's straightforward. Come on over. I'll be waiting for you, Ms. Shannon."

He hung up. Vanessa knew that if she could handle Harvey MacLeod, she could handle the online crisis.

She immediately grabbed her bag, went upstairs to shower, and got ready to head to the airport.

Meanwhile, the online drama continued to escalate. Joy was happily following the saga, watching as many of Vanessa's fans turned against her and started leaking details about her private life.

Truth and lies mingled together, shattering the pristine "piano diva" image Vanessa had carefully cultivated.

Finally, Joy saw a post from an anonymous user: "You all really think she's some piano diva? Her skills are mediocre at best. Let's just say she had a powerful backer throwing money at her to get her on the world stage."

"Was this powerful backer lan?"

"Not sure who it was, but the title of 'world-class pianist' is full of hot air. Anyone in the industry knows what she's really worth."

"She was manufactured by money! She's great at marketing her persona. It was all a carefully constructed package from the start."

Soon, a few more comments popped up, clearly from some of Vanessa's former peers who were now speaking out. The conversation had shifted from questioning her character to questioning her talent.

Many professionals also weighed in, which was far more damaging than the previous attacks on her personality.

***

êt

Three days later, Vanessa's scandal had finally started to cool down, replaced by gossip about another A-list star. Her former manager, Laverne, received a wire transfer for two million dollars accompanied by a short message from Vanessa: "Now we're even."

Laverne looked at the money in her account, still furious at Vanessa's actions. She had only asked for what

she was owed, yet Vanessa showed not a shred of gratitude for

everything

the past

she had done in the She truly embodied the image of an

ungrateful snake.

Laverne took the money and decided she wanted nothing more to do with Vanessa. Of course, knowing Vanessa, she guessed that her sudden ability to resolve the

online crisis and pay her meant she had already latched onto another man.

She was glad she had gotten out when she did. With Vanessa's reputation in tatters, any further investment would be pointless. All of Vanessa's energy was focused on latching onto men, with no real ambition for her career.

Laverne's guess was correct. Vanessa had become Harvey MacLeod's woman. She was now living in a villa in Kingston, scrolling through the news on her tablet. The trending topics and negative discussions about her had been suppressed. While the damage couldn't be completely erased, at least the public uproar had died down.

To her delight, Harvey MacLeod was treating her well, and he was willing to spend money on her. In just three days, he had already dropped five million dollars on her for shopping sprees and other trifles to keep her happy.

However, Vanessa could see that she was nothing more than an expensive, exquisite toy he had bought to show off. In just two days, he had already paraded her around at three different business dinners.

But at least the immediate crisis was over, and she no longer had to stress about it.